Tobacco supply means for cigarette machines



Dec. 26, 1933. w. F. SCHNEIDER TOBACCO SUPPLY MEANS FOR CIGARETTEMACHINES Filed July 29, 1929 Patented Dec. 26, 1933 v TOBACCO'SUPPLYMEANS FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES Germany, Cigarettenmaschinennear Coswig,Universelle Co.,'Dresden, Germany Application July 29, 1929, Serial No.381,826, and

I in Germany August 7; 1928 2 Claims. (011302-28) The subject of thepresent inventionvis a means of supplying a number of cigarette machineswith tobacco by means of a single pneumatic supply conduit in suchmanner that the tobacco'is automatically supplied to those cigarettemachines of which at any time the tobacco supply is exhausted. To thisend each cigarette machine is connected with'an indicating device cominginto or set in operation on exhaustion of the tobacco supply by acontrol valve associated with the cigarette machine in question andinterposed in the continuously operating feed conduit in such mannerthat the supply of the tobacco to this v cigarette machine continuesuntil on exhaustion Fig.

of the tobacco supply of another associated cigarette machine, transferof the supply to this machine is efiected.

In this manner the tobacco is fed continuously by the common feedconduit, but isdelivered always to that cigarette machine in which thetobacco supply is already exhausted or has been consumed to apredetermined extent. The control may be wholly automatic orsemi-automatic by providing in front of each cigarette machine i atobacco collecting hopper which is preferably connected to the usualdust separating device and is connected with the tobacco spreader insuch manner that by opening the closing valve or the like of thecollecting hopper an electric circuit is closed which actuates anindicating device, by which the supply valve in the pneumatic feed linefor the tobacco to the collecting hopper in question is controlled.

The feed valves interposed in the pneumatic .feedline consist of closingflaps which are arranged as plates at the branches from the main feedline to the separate cigarette machines and are held under springcontrol in such manner that they close the corresponding line, while anelectromagnet influences a tension member which, on the electromagnetbeing excited and overcoming the tension of the spring, moves the valveflap into the position where the extension of the main feed line isclosed and the branch is opened.

The invention is illustrated byway of example in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig.1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view,while3 shows an enlarged detail of the juncture of the main tobacco feedconduit and one of the branch lines leading therefrom. e

'7. matic feed conduit a.

l eierring to the drawing, A, B, C indicate three cigarette'machinesdisposed'one behind the other and adapted to be supplied by a commonpneu- The compressed airrsupply is provided by a'blower b and thetobacco is delivered to the inlet 0. 7 1 p jIn'front of each cigarettemachine is located a dust separator dof; known construction, each dustseparator being connected by a line e branching off at an inclinationfrom the main feed line a'of the pneumatic tobacco supply. Thecompressed air loaded with dust passes from the dust separator into thecommon delivery pipe f' through a connecting branch 9.

Between each dustseparator and the usual tobacco Spreaders of theseparate cigarette machines is provided a collecting hopper h which is TP T we Y connected to the dust separator and is supplied thereby withclean tobacco, while a closing flap 1' permits the transfer of thetobacco from the collecting hopper h into the tobacco spreader of theassociated cigarette machines only after being moved into the openposition. The dimensions of the'collecting hopper h, are so chosen thatthe tobacco supply of the filled collecting hopper corresponds to theusual quantum of the tobacco spreader.

At the point-where the branch e leads from the main feed line a,indicated in Fig. 3, there is provided a flap valve is which is arrangedas a plate in such manner 'that'it may turn about a pivot Z and eithercut off the extension'of the main feed line a (in the position indicatedby full lines) or cut off the branch e (see the position indicated bythe dotted line).

'To a rearwardly extending'portion m of the flap valve is is attached atension spring n tend- 5 ing to pull the flap continuously into theposition to close the branch line 6. With-the extension m is connected alongitudinally movable connecting rod 0 which terminates in the armaturep of an electro-magnet q. When the electro-magnet is excited it attractsthe armature p and turns the flap valve 7c against the action of thespring 72 into the position to close the extension of the main feed linea.

Each closing flap i of each collecting hopper h is formed as a contactso that on moving the corresponding closing flap i into the openpositionan electric. circuit is closed through the conductors r, 8, eachconductor 1', s acting on an indicating, device as is usual in electricbell annunci- 'ators or the like, and in which by the dropping of. aflap an indicator is'exposed' to view. On this indicator appears anumber orithe letter,

"A, .B, C, of the cigarette machine in question.

With each indicating devicev is connected a switch t. On moving over theswitch lever a cir-f cuit is closed which excites theelectromagnet qassociated with the cigarette machine in question, so that thecorresponding valve closing flap 7c is moved in a direction such thatthe tobacco supply is delivered to the corresponding branch 6, to itsdustseparator or to its collecting hopper h.

Care must be taken that the tobacco Spreaders of the separate cigarettemachines are kept supplied with tobacco and the corresponding collectorsh are filled. As soon as the filling of the tobacco spreader isnecessary in one machine, the corresponding flap 2 is opened. Thetobacco supply of the corresponding hopper is thus emptied into thetobacco spreader and at the same time the corresponding valve flap isoperated by the electromagnet, so that a further supply of tobacco isdelivered to the collecting hopper h. The arrangement can easily be suchthatone of the cigarette machines is-always in a condition such thatsubsequent filling of the tobacco.

is necessary.

The operation can be carried out automatically or semi-automatically. Itis possible obviously to control the flaps i automatically inconjunction with the control of the flap valves is. Morethe other, acommon feed inlet, a common pneumatic feed conduit for said machinesleading from said inlet, a dust separator in front of each of saidmachines, a branch conduit leading from said' common feed conduit toeach dust separator, a common dust delivery pipe, branch pipes leadingfrom each separator to said common dust delivery line, a collectinghopper between each dust separator and machine, a valve at the bottom ofeach collecting hopper, a valve at the juncture of each branch feed lineand main feed line to divert the feed of the tobacco in the main feedline to the respective branch feed line and means for operating saidlast named valve.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, in which the valve at thebottom of each collecting hopper consists of a flap.

WILLI FRIEDRICH SCHNEIDER.

